The Patio @ Rudy's — Restaurant in Palo Alto

Updated review 12/10/2021: The Patio is still my favorite after work, grab a beer kind of place. The staff are always nice to me. The chef consistently make great dishes. Tonight we did a few rounds of drinks over a perfectly fried plate of calamari $18 with their signature garlic tots $6. I would have ordered more food be we had dinner reservations. We were really happy to see The Patio is now crowded on a Friday night. It almost felt pre-pandemic. I really miss their wings and sausage sampler. They taste so good with beers.

Updated review 8/9/2021: The happy hour menu is back! M-F 3:30pm-7pm. Before Covid, I used to come here a lot after work to enjoy a cold beer and snack on some wings. My office isn't opened back up yet, but I was in the area and decided to stop by. I did notice some items from the current happy hour menu was missing from the old one. Regardless, the food and service remains excellent. I love the beer and food here. It was nice to see the same chef is still there. Great job everyone at The Patio. I look forward to coming here more once my office opens back up in October. (Fingers crossed, they delayed the re-opening a few times already.)

Original review: Outdoor dining 3/30/2021. Tonight I had the mushroom Swiss cheese patio burger with garlic tots $16 and a pint of blue moon beer $7. Back before COVID started last year, we used to come here at least once a week to wait out the traffic after work. We also came here when co-workers from other offices were in town and wanted to go somewhere for a drink. No matter how bad of a day I had at work back then, The Patio kind of made it a little better. Basically any excuse to come here. Tonight I came here because I needed to pick up a package from work. No one is at the office anymore because of COVID.

We used to love the happy hour menu (no longer available) where the plates were smaller and we can order a bunch of stuff without getting too full. Our favorites were the calamari, the little sausage plate and The Patio wings. It is too bad they don't have those small plates anymore because I was craving it. The Patio burger is still amazing. Hopefully the kitchen staff didn't change. I did notice my favorite bartenders were not working tonight. The girl who used to bring in her baby and the big friendly guy. The waitstaff has changed. Then again, it has been a year since COVID. Regardless, The Patio remains one of my favorite bars in Palo Alto to grab a meal while watching a game. There are literally wall to wall TV's with all the games on. Great job everyone at The Patio! Especially the chef and my waitress with the rainbow hair. Love you guys~! My cheeseburger was...

I had the strangest experience today at the Patio. For the first time in my life I was told to leave from a restaurant. Let me explain.

We sat there today for lunch, where we ordered a burger and fish-n-chips. After we sat down, the waitress asked us to provide a credit card to get the tab started. I gave her my card, assuming that it would be scanned and returned to me. After the food came to the table, I asked for my card back. The waitress said that they keep the card until we pay, as they have cases of people leaving without paying at night, and that there are many Stanford students that do that. I told her that it was lunch time, and that we clearly do not look like Stanford students. At this point she became very defensive (my guess is that she has to defend this "policy" at least once a day), and asked me if I wanted to talk to the manager. I said yes, of course. The manager did not come, but some other waitress came to the table with boxes and the bill. She said this is our policy, you either leave the card, or you take the card, box the food, and leave. We were in the middle of our meal at this point.

This is what I don't understand: I paid for the food at that time (the bill was presented in the middle of the meal). Why am I asked to leave? Just because I asked for my card? If they do not trust me to pay, why should I trust them to hold my card for the 30 minutes that the meal takes? And exactly what did they think would be the upside of this interaction, which could have been very easily solved by them asking me to pay ahead of time? Which I did, and still they told me to leave...

They gave me a phone number to call the manager "Megan", which went to a corporate number straight to voice mail.

Avoid this place. University avenue is full of...

My first few visits to The Patio were all after 10pm on Fridays/Saturdays. This is the best place in Palo Alto to go if you're in the mood for some good music, dancing, and drinks. The space is huge and there's a quieter outdoor area that provides a refreshing break from the dance floor. The crowd is diverse so there's definitely something for everyone. I love how the DJ never fails to play every genre and hits everything from oldies to the freshest sounds.

It was only months after my first few visits I realized The Patio was also a restaurant and sports bar, open for brunch/lunch and dinner daily. The food is more than your average "pub food"-- it's incredibly tasty and the menu is always evolving. They have a great draft/bottled beer selection and an impressive wine list to boot. The space is unbeatable, there's really no place better to be than sitting on the patio on a nice day enjoying a brew and bite.

Top points: dog friendly patio awesome happy hour specials 4-7pm huge menu with apps on special during HH perfect place to enjoy sunshine/fresh air and a game on the 80" flatscreen they book private events regularly friendly staff... the kind who will remember your name after a few visits karoke & trivia...